This is a proposal for a study of drug policy and selected factors related to the making of that policy. The focus will be on recent and current changes in U.S. policy regarding marihuana. At the federal level the President has recommended "decriminalization"; among the states some have moved toward and other have resisted such a policy. A major objective of the study is to analyze some of the ways in which decriminalization of marihuana is being advocated and opposed at the federal and state levels. A second aim of the study is to conduct a comparative analysis of current policies regarding marihuana in Britain. A third objective of the study is to compare policy-making regarding marihuana with policy-making about certain other drugs--alcohol, tobacco, and barbiturates. The underlaying aim is to contribute to our understanding of commonalities in drug policy-making. To achieve these objectives, studies will be carried out at the federal level, in selected states which have moved toward decriminalization of marihuana, in others which have so far resisted such a move, and in Britain. Analysis will focus particularly on the role played by relevant interest groups in shaping drug policy and on the interplay between public opinion and policy change. Methods will include secondary analysis of national and statewide public opinion surveys; analysis of federal and state drug agency archival material; and consultations with policy-makers and representatives of relevant interest groups (which includes legislators, law enforcement and other officials, and the advocates as well as the opponents of policy change). D